


The Witness (A Prologue to Starless Eyes Book 3)

by cherrypotatoes1



Series: Starless Eyes [4]
Category: SB19 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Scientists, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Vampire Hunters, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-19 09:15:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 6,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29748303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrypotatoes1/pseuds/cherrypotatoes1
Summary: Kia was the witness,Ken was sent to "take care" of her.It's not over yet,the saga continues...Starless Eyes Book 3: Summertime
Series: Starless Eyes [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2185350





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1   
Kia’s POV

“Early morning! Welcome to…”  
The cashier’s greeting was cut off as I entered the convenience store.  
I immediately ran towards one of the fridges and grabbed a bottle of cold water.

I hastily opened it.  
I flushed the contents down my throat.  
One bottle is not enough so I grabbed another.  
I emptied it up to the last drop.

After drinking,  
I slumped near the fridge.  
Still trying to catch my breath.

“You okay?”  
Asked the person behind the counter.

I looked at him,  
He has a “Hi I’m RV” nameplate pinned to his uniform.  
It says he is the shop’s manager.  
He has a concerned look on his face.

“Obviously, I’m not okay.”  
I mumbled as I stood up.

“You want me to call someone from the hospital?  
I can’t leave the store,   
But I can find someone to accompany you?”

“No, I’m good.  
Just had some intense run,  
But I’m good.”  
It might be the most death defying run I had in my whole life.  
I was literally running away from my death,  
And I hope this won't happen ever again.

“I just need to have a rest.  
Maybe.”  
I added as I placed some coins at the counter. 

“Okay.  
You have the whole store.  
Rest as you please.”

I looked at the inside of the store,  
There are indeed no people inside.  
I then looked through the shop’s glass walls.  
The rain already stopped.

I walked towards one of the tables.  
I sat there and continued looking outside.  
It was empty,  
Just a couple of stray cats here and there.

“I hope he’s lost.”  
I wished.  
It was a sincere whisper of the heart.

“Hours like this,  
Very little people come by.  
Only travelers, sometimes couples, and police officers.  
Usually to buy coffee.  
Other than that, the store’s practically empty.  
You can even sleep if you want.”

The night manager told me.  
He was mopping the traces of water I left when I barged inside the store.

“How could I even sleep at a time like this?”  
I quietly told myself.

For now,  
This could be a safe place.  
Maybe for just five minutes.  
Maybe ten.  
Maybe, fifteen minutes.  
I sighed.

I’ve been running for a couple hours now.  
I’ve crashed a car,  
Went to a police station,  
Hid in a hospital,  
Dropped by a church,  
Went to another police station,  
Then I ended up at this convenience store.

If it’s not yet obvious,  
Someone’s chasing me.

I lost him briefly before crashing the car.  
Then I saw him when I was at the hospital.  
That’s why I went to a police station.  
I stayed there for thirty minutes until I saw him leave.  
That’s the moment I decided to leave.  
And this is where my feet led me.

I can’t come home yet.  
If I do that,   
Both my friend’s safety will be compromised as well.  
That’s why I need to make sure that he’s not following me anymore.

I know for certain that he’s intending to kill me.  
He’s just looking for a perfect time to do it.  
Quietly.

I then pulled out my phone,  
I hope it still works.  
I was soaking wet this whole time.  
If it doesn’t survive,   
I hope that at least the memory card does.

This is the reason why I’m being chased.

“I wonder if she’s okay.  
I hope she is.”  
I whispered.

And I also hope I survive this too.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
Kia’s POV

It was a perfect night to stalk celebrities,  
Except it’s raining.  
That’s a bummer.

I’m a professional celebrity stalker.  
“Professional”  
Take note of that.

It’s kind of weird,   
But it’s what I do for a living.  
I do have other sources of income but this one takes the cake.

I have a university degree and couple of licenses,  
But it bored me.  
I wanted to do something exciting.  
Something that will make my blood pumping.

Well, I love the thrill.  
I love the adrenaline of spying on people.  
I love the chase to avoid being caught.  
I just love challenges.

“Can’t come to the meeting place now.  
I have an errand to run.  
Don’t sell the photo to others.  
I’ll still get it.”

“Sure,  
Ring me when you’re available.”  
I dropped the call.  
That’s disappointing,  
I skipped training for this.  
I said as I locked my phone and placed it on the pocket of my gray hoodie.

Some fans will pay big money just to get a glimpse of their idol’s personal life.  
Yeah, it’s kind of illegal,   
But that’s what I do to pay my bills.

Once you put a price tag on a photo,  
Then someone decides to get it,  
You must give them everything,  
Especially the memory card used on taking that photo.

I looked at my watch.  
8:30 PM.  
Surely, my roommates wouldn’t be home yet.  
“Important Stuff” as they always say it.

I looked at the flickering light above me.  
I’m now at an old park.  
I do most of my transactions here.

Not too long,  
It started to rain.  
Luckily, I brought my umbrella.  
I can now hear the raindrops falling.  
Drip, drop,  
Drip, drop.

I looked at the façade of the park behind me.  
Come to think of it,   
I never really set foot inside the park.

Well, the park looks,  
Old.  
Old but not abandoned.  
I still see people come here.  
But I bet,   
Most of them are just for “illegal” transactions.

As I walked the wet pavement of the park,  
I see rusted benches,  
Broken swings,  
Flickering lights.  
Abandoned market stalls.  
This was once the town’s star.  
But because of the new shopping center.  
The park’s light died.

I stopped walking when I saw a car pass by me.  
It was a black SUV.

“Celebrities?”   
The professional stalker in me took over..

“Hmmm…  
Who could it be?”  
I was about to turn into stalker mode,  
Then I remembered,   
I don’t have my camera with me.

“Okay. I’ll pass then.”  
I said to myself.  
I continued walking,  
I reached the end of the park.  
In front of me was the complex where kiosks were placed.  
Then, I saw a sign dangling from a makeshift barricade.   
It was used to stop people from trespassing the area.

“Don’t enter.”  
The sign says.  
I kicked the sign.  
It fell with a crash.

“Oops, I didn’t see any signs.  
I guess I can come inside.”  
I giggled a bit,  
Pushed the barricade,   
And entered the open complex.

You see,   
I’m a bit of a rebel at times.  
When I’m alone or if I’m with my two crazy friends,   
I become a time bomb.  
As I said I love the adrenaline.  
I love the rush.

But when I’m with my family,  
I’m the opposite.  
I become a calm ocean.

I continued to walk,  
The complex inside the park is designed like your normal shopping centers.  
The difference is that it’s outside.  
Obviously, there’s no roof.

The rain continued falling,  
I continued walking.  
The lights continued flickering,  
This is now starting to look like a horror movie,  
I loved it though.

After maybe ten more minutes of walking,  
My phone vibrated.  
Battery Low.

“It’s time to go home.”  
I said.  
Then, a loud sound startled me.

“Bang!”

My heart started to beat faster.

“Bang!”

Another one.  
Was that a gunshot?  
Adrenaline started pumping.  
Then,   
I heard footsteps against the wet pavement.

Luckily, I was near a kiosk.  
Instead of hiding fully,  
I peeped a bit so I could still see what’s happening.

I whispered a small prayer,  
Hoping that whoever is coming won’t see me.  
Yes, I love the thrill,   
But a part of me also started to feel nervous.

As the footsteps become louder and louder.  
I started hearing a woman’s voice.  
She was crying.  
She looked like she’s running away from someone.  
I also noticed that she’s limping.  
Her leg was bleeding.  
So those two sounds were indeed gunshots.

I wanted to help her,  
But I’m also starting to be afraid.  
If there’s indeed someone chasing her.  
I’m sure that it won’t hesitate to kill a witness.

So I just watched her run until she disappeared in the darkness.

“Should I just go home quietly?  
Pretend I never saw her,  
Pretend this didn’t happen?  
I don’t know her after all.”

Or 

“Should I follow her?  
Accompany her to the hospital?  
Report that someone is chasing her?  
But whoever’s following her has a gun.  
I’ve been chased before,   
But those doesn’t have guns”

My internal debate was cut short when I heard another set of footsteps.  
The footsteps were calm.  
I tried peeking again,  
I almost shouted after realizing that a man was standing right in front of the kiosk I’m hiding in.

His back was facing me that’s why I couldn’t get a clear view of his face.  
He was dressed on black.  
I’m not sure if he’s wearing a hoodie or a jacket.  
But I’m sure that he has a gun.  
I can clearly see it.

After looking around for a bit,  
The man looked at the floor.  
He saw some traces of blood from the woman’s wounded leg.  
He then calmly followed it and disappeared.

After he’s gone,   
I nervously reached for my phone.  
Should I call the police to report what’s happening,  
Or call my friends and bid my final goodbye?

I’m nervous as I reached for the phone inside my hoodie pocket.  
I’ve been soaked in rainwater.   
I was relieved when I saw that my phone’s still working.  
But it’s starting to malfunction.  
I tried calling my friends’ numbers but they’re not picking up.

“What great a time to not answer my calls”  
I told myself.  
If I survive this,   
I’m totally killing those two.

I guess, I’ll have to do it myself.  
So, I stood up from my hiding place,   
And followed the trail of blood.

Sometimes,   
I really hate myself for having a conscience.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
Kia’s POV

I was too late when I arrived at the dark alleyway.

That’s what I thought.

At least.

I hope.

I don’t really know.

I’m trying to think rationally.  
But honestly, it’s hard.  
I almost regretted turning back for her.  
But I’m sure that my conscience will kill me if I didn’t help her.

Once again,  
I tried ringing for help.   
No one answered.

If I die,   
I’m going to haunt those two until they die.

“If. I. Die.”  
Some sort of negative air wisped through my ear and repeated the words.

“If.”  
I got chills.

“Not today.”  
I quietly told myself to try to be positive.

Then, I heard voices.

“…Please just die quietly.”  
It was the man following the wounded woman.  
I found another kiosk near me and hid there.

“If you tried escaping again,  
The next bullet will be on your head."  
He continued.

The man’s voice was cold.  
I looked at the woman.  
She was sitting on the wet pavement.  
Her legs are still bleeding.  
Her shoulders were slumped.  
She looked defeated,   
She looked like she'd already given up.  
She was crying.

"If this is what you want,  
Fire at will."  
She then slowly closed her eyes and said those words.  
A gun was pointed at her head.

I couldn’t just let her die that way.  
I have to do something.

So I made the dumbest decision in my life.  
Something that will surely get me in trouble.

“Flash!”  
I pulled my phone and snapped a photo.

For reasons I couldn’t understand.  
I took a photo of the scene with a flash.  
It’s like me saying,  
“Hey you have an audience!  
You like to kill me as well?  
Here I am!”

“Shit!”

That’s the moment I knew,  
I really messed up.

The man faced my direction.  
He then fired several gunshots towards my hiding place.

Luckily,  
None of those bullets touched me.

My hands and my knees were shaking,  
My heart’s going haywire.  
My brain’s too cloudy to think straight.  
I looked at the phone on my hands.

“What do we do now?”  
I told myself with a shaky voice.  
This is not the rush I’m looking for.  
I might have bit more than I could chew.

“I guess, I’ll just end her the old way.”  
I heard the man say.

Is that for me or for the woman?

After a couple of minutes,   
I heard the man’s footsteps slowly disappear to the distance.  
Then there was silence.

I was a bit relieved.  
But not a hundred percent.  
He’s still chasing the woman.  
I need to do something.  
I pulled my phone out,  
But it’s already dead.

“Great.”  
I sarcastically told myself.  
I slowly stood up,   
And sneakily looked at the scene for the last time.

But I was not prepared for what I saw.

Not far from where I’m hiding,  
Was a man.  
He was also wearing some dark colored jacket or hoodie.  
He was just standing there.  
I can’t clearly see his face.  
But I’m sure he’s facing my way.

He then started walking towards my direction.  
Slowly.  
Then it got faster and faster.

My heart also started to beat faster.  
I did what I felt was my best option.

I ran!

And ran.

And ran.

And I think,   
And I hope.  
I outsmarted him.  
I hope he's lost or something.  
I couldn’t care less.  
What’s important is that he’s no longer following me.

I’m beyond tired.  
I crashed my car,  
Went to police stations, hospital, and a church.  
And into this convenient store.

I let out a sigh of relief.  
Let’s just hope he stops.  
I was on the dark,  
I don’t think he saw my face.  
If that’s the case,  
Everything’s good.

After maybe a week,  
He’ll surely forget about me.  
A change in wardrobe and hair color would solve that.

“Towel?”  
The night manager said as he handed me one.

“Don’t worry,   
It’s on me.  
You’ll get sick if you rest wet.”

“Thanks,  
But I’ll leave after maybe five minutes.”

“No, it’s okay,  
As I said, you have the whole store for yourself.  
Just rest.  
Do you like coffee?”

“Okay.”  
I said.

He then gave me a cup of coffee,   
And returned to the counter.

“I’ll just pay these two later.”  
I said.  
He just nodded.  
The aroma of newly brewed wafted to my nose.  
It calmed me.

Automatically, I started yawning.  
I get sleepy whenever I drink warm coffee.

So, I leaned my head on the warm towel the night manager gave me.  
After a minute or so,   
I fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
Kia’s POV

When I woke up,   
The sun’s already shining.  
I looked at my watch,   
It’s now 6:30 AM.

I didn’t imagine that I’ll sleep that peacefully after what happened to me last night.  
I was also happy that I wasn’t harmed while I was sleeping at the convenience store.

After bidding farewell to the kind Night Manager,  
And paying for the coffee I left the store and walked home.

While walking,   
I fetched my phone from the hoodie pocket.  
I was relieved when I saw that the phone was not wet anymore.  
And it was already functioning.  
I must have been very lucky.

I stopped walking for a bit,  
And opened my gallery.  
For an odd reason,   
All photos were corrupted,  
Except one.  
I opened it and saw that it was a photo from last night.  
But it was not the photo I remember taking.

It wasn’t the woman,  
Nor the man chasing him.  
It was the man in the black hoodie,  
The man who was following me. 

I didn’t saw his face last night,  
But I know that it was him.  
I feel it.  
I’m hundred percent sure.

How could this happen?  
I started shaking.

Then, as I look in front of me,  
I saw him there.  
He was standing.  
He doesn’t have a gun or whatever.  
But his hands were bloody.

For a very weird reason,  
Instead of running,  
I looked at my phone and swiped to show the next image.

I was mortified.  
There, on the photo, was me.  
I was bathing.  
Bathing with my own blood.

I zoomed further to see myself.  
I saw that the blood was gushing from a wound on the side of my neck.  
Was my throat slit?  
Nope, I was bitten.  
There were bite marks on my neck.

I then put my phone down and looked back at the man in front of me.  
Now, not only his hands are bloody.  
There was also blood smeared on his clothes.

I soon noticed that his hood was already pulled down revealing a mop of hair due for haircut.  
His bangs were covering his eyes and nose.  
I could only see his lips,  
Then he smirked.

I was terrified.  
Did I mention that I saw pointed teeth?  
What makes it more terrifying is the thought that both his lips and teeth were covered in fresh blood.  
My blood.

He then placed his bloody hands near his lips,  
And licked them.

“Good.  
You taste good.”  
He said.

I started to feel a weird sensation near my neck.  
I touched it.  
When I saw it,  
It was blood.   
Too much blood.

I gasped in disbelief.  
I looked at him but he’s no longer around.

Then, I started running.  
Again.

But something felt off,  
No matter how fast I run,   
The place never changes.  
It felt like I was stuck in an endless loop.  
When I was finally tired,   
I stopped.

“Aren’t you tired of running?”  
I heard a man’s voice whisper.  
After that,   
He grabbed my shoulder.  
And that was the end of me…


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
Kia

“I’m sorry for waking you up,  
The day manager will be arriving anytime soon.  
It’s nearly 5 AM,  
Her shift will start soon.  
She’s not really fond of people sleeping inside the store.”

I woke up trying to catch my breath.  
The dream that I had is ridiculous.  
You wouldn’t want to dream about your death right?  
Especially if you think that your dream could possibly mirror the future.   
I hate that dream.

“Are you okay?”  
The night manager asked me.

“Obviously, I’m not okay.”

“Do you want warm coffee?”

“No thanks,   
I’ll just go fetch some canned coffee.”

“I’m afraid,   
We already ran out of canned coffee.”  
He said as he pointed to the neatly stacked coffee cans on the table beside mine.

“You know,   
You two should make up.”

“Who?”  
I asked him.

“Your boyfriend.”  
I looked at him weirdly.

“Hmm…   
Dark hoodie.  
Messy hair.  
He was just quietly sitting there,   
Drinking coffee and watching you sleep.  
I think that was sweet.”

“That was not sweet!”  
I yelled.

“Why are you angry?  
He said you had a misunderstanding, and you ran away, and he followed you everywhere.   
He also watched over you while you were sleeping.  
He was waiting for you to wake up,  
But he left maybe 20 minutes ago.”

“Did he see my face?”

“Of course, he was looking at you intently.   
Like memorizing every detail of your face.  
He even took a photo of you.”

I’m doomed.  
I started panicking.  
I really needed to hide if I wanted to live.  
He already knew my face.  
I could no longer stay here.  
I need to hide somewhere faraway.

“Can I ask you for a favor?”  
I asked the night manager.

“As long as I can…”

“Good! So that’s a yes.”  
I didn’t let him finish.

“Did he really left?”  
I asked.

“I think so,   
He was talking seriously and then he left.  
He left his change and I tried following him,   
But he’s nowhere to be found.”  
He innocently replied.

“That man,   
He’s not my boyfriend,  
He was sent to kill me”

He gasped.

“Now, can I borrow your phone  
I need to hurry..”

“You should report it to the police.  
Wait, where are you going?”  
I can also hear the panic in his voice.

“I’m running away.”  
I replied as I dialed a number on his phone.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
Ken’s POV

“Cullen…”

It was written on an old folder placed above Josh’s desk.  
It was his old name.  
He used it when he was first admitted at the facility.  
He was a human then.

“Ydah…”

The name was written beside Josh’s.  
That’s my sister’s name.  
I first met her years ago,  
She looked nice.  
She seemed caring.  
She wanted to cure me.  
She wanted me to become human.  
She’s desperate.

From that moment,   
Unconsciously,   
I started wondering how it would feel to be human.  
Would I feel different from what I am right now? 

After I lost all my memories when I became a vampire,   
I never felt that I’m a living being.  
People and vampire alike,  
They always treated me like a machine.  
I was made to chase people.  
I was made to kill.  
I was not allowed to have choices.  
I only do what I was told.  
I’m not allowed to feel.  
And I was okay with that.  
I was…

Until I met “my real family”.  
I met my uncle, my cousins, my sister.  
I also found out what happened to our parents.  
I really wanted to believe them.  
Because they showed how happy it is to know that people care for you.   
To have your own choices.

For a short moment,   
They gave me hope.

As I started to believe those wonderful dreams,  
And started to dream with a future with those people,  
Everything took an unexpected U-turn.

My benefactor showed up.  
I was “rescued”.   
At first, I didn’t want to go back.

“You lost your memory,  
How do you know that everything they told you was true?  
Humans are like foxes.  
They’re sly and cunning.  
They will make you believe in illusions.  
They will deceive you just to get what they want.”  
He told me.

“They’re making an antidote for you.  
Yes, but there are a lot of things they didn’t tell you.  
But do you know how many of our kind died for that experiment?  
What’s more painful is that they didn’t sign up to be part.  
They were abducted.”  
He continued.

“They said they will cure you,  
And you will become human.  
You will be happier.  
Is that so?  
What are the benefits of becoming a human?  
None.”  
He insisted.

“I bet they didn’t tell you the risks.  
If that formula fails,   
Do you know what will happen?  
You will end up like the other vampires they abducted.”  
He looked at me with eyes full of hate and a tinge sadness.

“On the grave with a stake on the heart.”  
Warm tears started to fall.  
To be honest,  
I’m really confused.  
My mind tells me to believe my benefactor,  
But another voice from inside me tells me that I should stay.

“Remember what you are.  
You are my trusted assistant.  
You’re my machine.”

My machine…  
Just a machine…

I shrugged of the memory,  
And read what was written below the two names.  
“Project K”  
It was written in bold.

“Project Ken…”  
The project was proposed by my sister.

“Turn a vampire back to human”  
That line was circled with faded red ink.

From what I knew,   
Josh volunteered to be a part of the said project.  
He willingly turned himself into a vampire so my sister could test the effectiveness of the antidotes she made.  
He loved my sister so much he sacrificed himself and became a guinea pig.  
That’s so dumb of him.

He trusted his life to her.  
He knew that she could find the cure.  
Everything was going with the plan.  
However, on an unexpected turn of events,   
The project was forcibly stopped.  
The cure was never found. 

But Josh never lost hope,   
He insisted on finding me and the cure.

I closed the old folder,  
Then, I opened the folder under it.

“Project K: Part 2”

A new attempt.  
The attempt that will include me.  
The attempt that will make me human.   
Not wanting to read any of the experiments Josh is planning to do,  
I closed the folder.

As I’m closing it,  
A yellow post-in note flew down the floor.  
I picked the paper and saw what’s written.  
On Josh’s handwriting was my sister’s contact details.  
Her email, her international phone number, her address.

Seeing the information made me excited and afraid at the same time.  
Finally, I could speak with her again.  
Josh never lets me talk to her.  
Not even phone calls nor letters.  
And I don’t understand why.

I have always wondered if she’s aware that I already met Josh.  
Does she know about the job I do for him?  
Does she know I’m alive?  
Does she know I want to talk to her?  
Does she know that I miss her?

With that in mind,  
An unfamiliar feeling touched my heart.  
I then started to feel unexpected tears fall on my cheeks.  
I touched them still confused why they were there in the first place.

“Oh, you’re already here.”  
I heard Josh speak as he opened the door.

Before standing up to look at him,  
I secretly picked up the sticky note,  
And slid it inside the pocket of my hoodie.

I felt that Josh was looking at me,  
Wondering what I was picking up from the floor.  
Luckily, there was an empty syringe inside my hoodie pocket.  
I immediately showed it to him,  
Pretending that it was the reason why It took me a long time to stand up.

“Oh, I see.  
Taking shots?”

I nodded.

“Good.”  
Since I started working for Josh,  
He’d been giving me syringes with numbing shots.  
These concoctions were used to dull a vampire’s sense of smell and taste.  
We use this to pass as humans especially in events and places where blood is present.

As we all know,   
Most vampires become feral in the sight and smell of blood.  
In Josh’s office, The Facility,  
Blood is everywhere.   
We can’t afford to blow our covers,   
That’s why we need it.  
Luckily, I took a shot just before I entered the building.  
That left me with an empty syringe inside my hoodie pocket.

I stood up,  
Josh then sat down on his chair.  
He is still wearing the bloody button-down shirt he wore when he killed his nemesis earlier.  
Her name was Serin,  
She found out Josh’s secret.

To get away with the killing,   
Josh pretended that the “vampire” who killed Serin hurt him as well.  
He had plasters and bandages all over his hands and neck.

“Where was she?”  
He asked me.  
He was talking about the woman who saw him chasing Serin.

“I couldn’t find her,   
She was smart.”  
I lied.  
He then stopped unraveling the bandages on his hands,  
Revealing that the self-inflicted wounds he dubbed as vampire scratches were already starting to heal.

“Ken.”  
He said my name.  
It was stern.   
His tone was commanding,  
Just like always. 

“I know you’re starting to disobey me.  
I’m not dumb.  
I know how you work.  
If you really want to do it.  
You could have easily found her.”  
His eyes were cold.

“I don’t want to kill anymore.”

I wanted to tell him that I’m getting tired of all this killing.  
But I can’t.  
My mind know the words,   
But it felt like my lips did not know how to say them.

“Ken, remember.  
I saved you from that place.   
You were a trade.  
I must kill someone,  
Just to get you out of there.  
So you and your sister can meet each other.  
So she could be happy.”

He then stood up from his seat,  
He walked towards me.

“I saved you, remember that.  
You will do anything that I say.  
You will become human again.  
You don’t have a choice.”

He said that in a calm tone.  
But you will still feel the power..

He then went back to his chair,  
Opened his drawer and pulled a photo.  
He then tossed it on the top of his desk.

“Tin.  
Serin’s friend.  
I know that Serin told her everything she’s planning.   
I’m sure that she’ll go to Serin’s office to retrieve the evidence against me.”

I picked up the photo.  
Another innocent one…

“Kill her.  
Don’t disappoint me.”

I couldn’t answer.  
As he told me earlier,   
I don’t have a choice.

“The girl who took the photo,  
Find her.  
Kill her as well.”

I was about to leave but he spoke again.

“After dispatching that girl,  
You could take a break for a couple of weeks.  
I’ll be preparing the things needed for Project K.  
Use that time to enjoy your last moments as a vampire.”

His tone changed.  
It sounded kind.   
I just nodded.

And just like that,   
I’m off to kill someone innocent.  
Again…


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
Ken’s POV

“Click!”  
The sound of someone unlocking the door echoed inside the dark room.  
As I stand on the dark corner behind Serin’s office chair,  
I saw someone quietly entering the dark gloomy office.

It was Tin.  
She didn’t even bother opening the lights.  
She just slowly walked towards Serin’s desk.  
She then sat down at Serin’s chair.  
She slowly touched Serin’s things.  
Serin’s mouse,   
Her personalized mouse pad,   
The stack of blue sticky notes beside her monitor,   
The rectangular frame with photos of her family and friends,  
Then finally, Serin’s photo.  
Tin reached for the photo,  
And started shedding tears.

“You didn’t deserve to die,  
You just wanted to fulfill your dreams.  
You did nothing wrong.  
You just wanted people to know the truth.”

With every line she said,  
Ounces of guilt inside me increased.

“Why is it so easy for people to kill?  
If they’re no longer happy with their life,  
Can they just kill themselves?  
Why kill innocent people?  
Why?”

That struck me in a different way,  
I accidentally took a step back and hit something.   
This caused Tin to look at her back and see me.  
Tin was shocked but she’s quick-witted.  
She stood up from Serin’s chair and was about to sprint to the door.

She was fast,   
But I was faster.  
I grabbed the end of her blazer,  
And dragged her to the floor.   
She tried to free herself by clawing my face.  
But I pinned her down,  
Then smothered her until she passed out.

“I’m sorry.  
You too don’t deserve this.  
But I have to do it.  
I’m sorry…”

With that,   
I closed my eyes,   
And bit her on the base of her neck.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
Ken’s POV

“It’s raining…”

The man beside me let out a sigh of relief.  
I don’t have a single idea who this man is.  
My benefactor just told me that from now on,   
This man is my new boss.  
That I must follow everything he orders me.

I looked at him,  
He’s fair skinned,  
Has nice build,  
Looks quite good.  
He must have felt that I’m looking at him,  
He looked back at me.  
He smiled but his eyes were full of sadness.

I refused to look away,  
I saw that he had bandages here and there,  
He also has scratches on his hands and face.

If he indeed is a vampire,  
His wounds are either too deep that’s why it took long time to heal,  
Or he has a slower healing rate compared to normal vampires.

He must have felt awkward,   
So he spoke to break the silence.

“You looked very confused.  
I’m your new boss,  
You have to obey everything that I tell you.  
My first order is that you treat me as your older brother,  
Not a boss.”

On our way here to this lone waiting shed in the middle of nowhere,  
This is the first time he spoke to me.  
And if he really is my new boss,  
His first order is crazy.  
Treat him as an older brother?  
Is he out of his mind?  
I’m a hitman.  
I’m a killer.  
Is he sane?

“Who are you?”  
I confusedly asked.

“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself.  
I’m Josh,  
Your sister’s colleague.”  
He answered.

I just looked at him.  
More confused than ever.

“Oh.”  
He then reached for his backpack,  
And fished something inside.  
After a second or two,  
He showed me something.

“Here.”  
He said.  
He’s now showing me a polaroid with a photo of him and my supposed to be sister.  
I took the photo and looked at him.

“I promised her that I will find you.  
And now you’re here.  
Once I talk to her again,   
I will tell her that I already found you.  
Then, you will meet her.”

I remembered the humans who caught me on one of my assignments.  
That was one of the earliest assignments assigned to me by my benefactor.  
He ordered me to kill the head of an organization,  
This includes his family as well.

For an odd reason,  
It felt like I was set up to be caught on that assignment.  
It felt like they were already waiting for me to come.  
Once I set foot on their home,  
I was already trapped.

As I stayed there for weeks,  
Locked up in a room,  
I figured out that they were my real family.  
They told me stories and everything.  
It felt like home…

Even though I’m locked up,  
I never felt the urge to leave.  
Yes, at first, I really wanted to escape.  
But after the stories and talks,  
I felt hope.

If what they say were lies,  
I’d love to believe those lies.  
They sounded so good,  
I no longer wanted to leave there.  
I wanted to stay,  
If I have a choice.

If I have a choice…

Suddenly,   
I lost control,   
I hurt some of them.  
I had to be locked up away from them.  
Maybe, it was an effect of not consuming human blood.

I became rabid,  
I became out of control.  
I didn’t mean to…  
I felt guilt all over me.  
I was sorry…

Then, my benefactor arrived.  
He rescued me from there.  
He made me realize that the things I learned when I was captured could be mere lies.

Yes, it could be lies,  
But I choose to believe them.  
Because they were beautiful lies.  
Happy lies.  
Lies that could mask the sadness of my reality.

The memory faded.  
I looked back at the man who introduced himself as my sister’s colleague.  
Josh.

He was a good man.  
He treated me as his own brother.  
He taught me things I didn’t know when I was still under my former benefactor’s wing.  
Everything was perfect,  
I was ready to become human.  
I was ready to meet my sister.

But all of a sudden,  
Josh changed.  
He became cold.  
He lost his motivation.

He was no longer my sister’s friendly colleague,  
He turned into the cold-hearted Superior many fears.  
And I'm no longer his brother.  
I need to become his machine.  
I need to kill for him.  
I no longer have my own will.  
I must obey everything he orders me.  
I must…

I came back to my senses when I heard the door opening.  
I removed my fangs from Tin’s neck,  
And looked at the person standing at the door,  
It was Serin’s secretary.  
She was frozen from the gruesome scene I made. 

While still looking at her,  
I wiped the excess blood on my lips.  
I pulled up my hood to cover my head and stood up.  
Before she could get her voice back,  
I immediately walked to the window I used to enter the office.  
Before jumping,   
I looked back to see the secretary try to revive Tin back.  
But I’m quite sure it would be impossible.  
Tin’s gone.

“I’m sorry”   
I whispered as if she could still forgive me.  
Then, I jumped out of the window.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
Kia’s POV

I climbed the last bus bound to my Uncle and Aunt’s place.  
I scanned for empty seats.  
I saw that the seats at the back of the bus are still empty.  
I walked vigilantly looking for suspicious people that may or may not be the person following me.

As I sat on the left seat beside the window.  
I continued to look at the people entering the bus.  
Checking if someone looks or feels familiar.

To be honest,   
This is a test on how strong my intuition is.  
I don’t really know what the man following me looks like.  
I asked the Store Manager if we could check the CCTV footage,  
But he was wearing a hoodie.

“He was a good-looking guy.”  
Said the manager.  
From now on,  
I need to be careful around good looking guys,  
Because one of them might be the one who’s tasked to kill me.  
Yeah, big help.

“What’s going on?   
Where’s your car?   
Why are you going to the province?”  
Are you running away?”

My friend Celeen asked as I entered her car.

“Where are my clothes?”

She pointed at the backpack placed at the backseat.  
I hurriedly got it and started changing inside the car.

“Is there an emergency?  
Are you okay?”

She sounded worried.  
I ignored her and continued changing.  
She then grabbed my backpack,  
And spoke in an angry tone.

“What’s happening?  
Talk to me or I won’t drive you to where you needed to go.”

I stopped and looked at her seriously.

“Someone wants to kill me…”  
Then I told her what happened.

“Why don’t you tell the police?”  
She asked.

“I tried,  
But they couldn’t help me.”  
I answered.  
Then she was silent.

“What if we ask help from Mau’s…”  
Then I noticed that one of my friends is not with her.

“Speaking, where the hell is Mau?  
I need you both here,  
I don’t know when I will see you again,  
At least, I need to see both of your faces.”

“Well, that…”

She mentioned that Mau is at our apartment.  
She was looking after the wounded man Celeen found at the flower shop she’s working part time.  
For a weird reason,  
My friends decided that it’s better to take him home,   
And care for him instead of calling the police or bringing him to the hospital.

“Why didn’t you bring him to the police?”  
I asked her while she was driving to the bus terminal.

“Frankly, I don’t know.  
Mau insisted that we keep him.  
At least for now…  
Plus, Mau seemed to like him.  
By like, you know what I mean.”  
We both laughed.  
Then, there was silence.

“Promise me that you’ll stay safe.”  
Celeen said.

“I’ll do my best.”  
I looked at her and smiled.

“Can I sit beside you”  
I was transported back to the bus when I heard a deep voice speak.

“No!”  
I shouted.  
Who wouldn’t be surprised if someone popped like that while you’re in the middle of thinking? 

I looked at the man who was wearing a Navy-Blue hoodie.  
He was also shocked with the way I responded.

“Okay, I’m sorry.”  
He nervously answered.  
He then walked to the other side of the bus.  
He sat beside the window as well.

I looked weirdly at him,  
I bet he felt it,  
He anxiously adjusted the black beanie he’s wearing,  
Maybe, trying to avoid my stare.

“Why would he sit beside me,  
There are a lot of vacant seats in the bus?  
Creep.”  
I mumbled to myself

“Well, honestly,   
He’s kind of cute.”

When I was about to look away,  
I remembered the man that’s following me.  
Then I looked at him even more deeply.  
He became more anxious.  
Now, he pulled the hood of his hoodie over his head to completely block me from his peripheral view.

Why do I feel something weird about him?  
My intuition is starting to kick in again.  
I can feel danger.  
But he acts differently.

He looked back at me,   
Checking if I’m still looking.  
He was quite shocked when he found out that I’m still looking at him.

“I’ll just change seats if you don’t want me…”  
He shyly said as he started to stand up.

“No! Stay there.”  
I cut him before he could finish.

He nodded and sat again without saying a word.  
I looked away,   
Then I saw something.  
A man in a black hoodie walking to the seat in front of me.

I looked at the man,  
He looked back at me as well.

“What’s the problem?”  
He rudely asked.

Yes, he asked rudely but my intuition said that it was not him.  
I looked back at the man at the other end of the bus’s rear.  
He’s now completely covered.  
His back against me.

Maybe he’s just weird.  
That’s why my mind tells me he’s suspicious.

I sighed.  
I should try to be comfortable.  
There were no signs of the man chasing me for hours now.

If he really wanted to kill me,  
He should have done it while I was sleeping.  
Maybe he just wanted to scare me.

It’s been hours since I left the convenience store,   
Nothing happened yet.  
Maybe I really did lose him.

Once I arrive at the province,  
Everything will be okay.  
I’m sure he wouldn’t bother following me on a ten hour long journey.

I tried to relax.

I closed my eyes,  
And thought about the ocean,  
The mountains,   
The sun,  
The golden shower trees,  
The flowers,  
The hydrangeas,  
The beautiful sceneries  
Summer...

“Once I arrive there,  
Everything’s gonna be alright.  
Everything’s gonna be okay,   
It’s summertime after all...”


End file.
